Former Trump administration official Peter Navarro on Friday appealed to the US Supreme Court requesting that he be allowed to remain free while he appeals his conviction for contempt of Congress, the Associated Press reported.
In February, US District Judge Amit Mehta denied Navarro’s request to stay out of prison while he appealed his conviction, ruling that the former Trump official failed to show that the questions of law he raised on appeal were “substantial.” Judge Mehta said Navarro would have to report to jail when ordered by the Bureau of Prisons unless an appellate court stepped in to block Mehta’s order.
A three-judge panel from the US District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected Navarro’s appeal of Mehta’s order last Thursday. The appellate panel determined that Navarro’s appeal was unlikely to succeed.
A jury convicted Navarro in September of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot. Judge Mehta sentenced him to four months in prison in late January.
Navarro claimed that he could not testify before the Jan 6 committee because Donald Trump invoked executive privilege. However, Judge Mehta prevented Navarro from using executive privilege as a defense at trial, ruling that Navarro provided no evidence that the former president invoked privilege.
Navarro was the second Trump associate to be convicted of contempt of Congress in connection to the Jan 6 committee’s investigation. Podcaster Steve Bannon was also sentenced to four months for defying the committee’s subpoena but has remained free pending appeal.
Following his emergency petition to the Supreme Court, the Court gave the Justice Department until Monday, March 18 to respond to Navarro’s filing.
Navarro, Trump’s former White House trade advisor, was scheduled to report to the Bureau of Prisons facility in Miami on March 19 unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
